


next time baby, I'll be bulletproof

by Redburn



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, M/M, Minor Violence, its basically a supernatural au, the losers all became hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 09:45:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14399478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redburn/pseuds/Redburn
Summary: After the events that transpired over the summer of '89, seven friends could all agree that out there in the big, wide world, even more evil could be lurking behind every corner. It seems only natural to dedicate their lives into saving those whose voices go unheard, to hunt down any and all creatures that go bump in the night.(Or, the AU in which the Losers become monster hunters not long after they finish high school.)





	next time baby, I'll be bulletproof

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone ! whoa, I never thought I'd have to watch SPN again, but i did because I remembered nothing and needed to brush up on my demon kicking knowledge lmao
> 
> so this is also inspired by [tongue-biter's spn losers AU art](https://tongue-biter.tumblr.com/post/172119576111/supernatural-au-where-all-of-the-losers-go-into) on tumblr, so go check them out! :D
> 
> and to add, I've based this a few years _before_ SPN started, so all of the losers are in the late 20s. and also, stanlon are together in this, as are billbevben, but I didn't include those three here since it was too short to squeeze in everyone,,  
>  but I hope y'all enjoy this hopefully believable au!

As Richie reached over to grope at the space next to him, his hand came up empty, and without opening his eyes he rolled over onto his other side to face where the now open window of the hotel room was.

He released a drawn out groan before tiredly pinching at his eyes to wipe away the sleep still lingering. Vision fuzzy when he opened them, he reached for his glasses perched on the edge of the nightstand and struggled to slip them on, watching as his boyfriend came into focus at the small table provided near the door.

“Why’re you up so early…?” he groaned again, mouth half-squished into the pillow.

“It’s not early, you’re just a lazy fuck,” Eddie quipped, face never leaving the screen in front of him.

“Are you critiquing my sexual performances now?” Richie asked and finally sat up, attempting to brush his messy curls away from his face. “Do I need a haircut?”

Still without looking over, Eddie said, “Unless your hair is what helps us to solve cases, I don’t think it matters.”

“You’re snippy today,” Richie remarked. He stood up, stretching his back and counting that as his cardio for the day. There was a half-eaten carton of leftover fried rice in the fridge, so he pulled that out and ate it cold, leaning against the wall behind Eddie. “Did you find us a case?”

“I think so,” Eddie murmured, clearly on a lead as he flicked through tab after tab. Richie was thankful they had a decent internet connection at this hotel. “Mike messaged me about it an hour ago. He should call soon when he has more info.”

“Hmm,” Richie said, joining him at the table and propping one foot up next to Eddie’s thigh on the chair. He hadn’t expected to hear from Mike for a few days at least, hoping he could’ve snuck in some good sleeping hours (and some great sex). “Can’t these demonic spirits, like… just chill out for a day or something?”

Eddie shot him an unimpressed look over the screen of his laptop. Richie grinned back, rice stuck in his teeth.

“He said the case had only fallen into his radar yesterday, but since they’re further out, you and I can get a head start,” Eddie said. He typed something rapidly just as his mobile rang around the room. He answered as Richie got up to get dressed, doing a quick search of the room to make sure they wouldn’t leave something suspicious behind – nothing but some empty beer bottles and a used condom in the trash. 

“Yeah, okay. Okay. We’ll meet you there.” Eddie said behind him before he hung up. The laptop closed next just as Richie finished buckling up his belt. “Ready?”

“I think I need extra motivation today,” Richie said, waggling his eyebrows. Eddie sighed but walked over to stand in front of him anyway. He pulled Richie down by his shirt, his lips a hair’s length away from Richie’s own.

“Just think how much sweeter it’ll taste after we dunk this demon back into the garbage where it belongs?” he breathed out before stepping away, leaving Richie wanting more, like how it always was.

“You little shit,” Richie murmured fondly, but grabbed his duffle bag and followed Eddie out the door before closing it behind him.

*

They had stopped about 3 hours out of their destination, refueling the car and buying some granola bars Eddie continued to push Richie to eat while they were on the job. Billy Idol was currently blasting from the inside of the car as Richie leaned against it, and soon Eddie emerged from the gas station, hair whipping in the wind.

“Mike sent us a text; says he and Stan are about twelve hours behind us,” Eddie said and tossed Richie a bar. It was berry – one of the only flavour’s Richie would put up with. “He says to go straight to the local Sheriff’s station if we want more information.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Richie nodded.

“That’s ‘Yes, sir’ to you,” Eddie said, lips curling up.

Richie shoved half of the granola bar into his mouth so as not to release a pathetic moan. Eddie saw right through him, anyway.

*

“Tie?”

“Thanks.”

“Got your badge?”

“I should be asking _you_ that.”

“Are you implying I lose my badge a lot?”

“Well,” Eddie said, smoothing down his shirt collar in the rearview mirror. “It’s true.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

They had parked a block away from the Sheriff’s station and had begun to dress up in their Blues Brothers suits, as Richie liked to call them. The car was just spacious enough to be able to wiggle into them without causing too much ruckus, and despite Eddie’s lack of faith in Richie’s ability to keep track of his things, he found his badge shoved into the far corner of his bag. Eddie slicked his hair back and Richie didn’t, and they deemed themselves ready.

“Okay, so,” Eddie started, flipping through his book of notes he’d written down for the case. “Mike said there have been reports of people’s body parts showing up all over town in the past few days, with no traces of how they got there or where the rest of the bodies are.”

“You don’t think it’s just the actions of some wacked up sociopath?” Richie asked, squinting as he surveyed the station across the road. “Just because we hunt monsters and demons doesn’t mean every case is caused by them.”

“No,” Eddie said, opening the door to step out of the car as Richie followed. “Mike said the body parts were reported to have satanic markings on them.”

“Again, people can be satanic, too. Not just monsters and demons.”  

“Only one way to find out – just be ready to flirt with the receptionist,” Eddie said, slipping into his poised and focused mode and striding up the steps of the station. “I’ll sidestep through to evidence.”

“Haven’t you ever considered these women could _also_ be gay?”

“Then just start gushing about how you can’t wait to marry me or some shit,” Eddie said as they reached the door.

“Eddie Kaspbrak,” Richie grinned. “Do you want to make an honest man out of me?”

“Quiet,” was all Eddie said before they walked inside to be greeted by the receptionist behind the counter. Her hair looked dry, like it had been dyed one too many times. Her nose was slightly crooked but her smile was warm and welcoming.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” she said as she typed something onto her desk computer. “Can I help you?”

“I reckon you might be able to, darlin’,” Richie said, bringing out a rusty Southern accent as he leaned against the barrier of the desk. He and Eddie held up their badges with practiced ease. He lowered his voice slightly. “My partner and I were wondering if we could speak to the Sheriff about the recent reports of missing bodies around town.”

Eddie had already positioned himself further away from the two, seemingly just looking around as the woman made a small noise from Richie’s request. He was fully prepared to block her view and distract her with more questions, only soon enough she was picking up the phone and said she was going to page the Sheriff to come out to meet them.

They canceled the plan and Eddie stayed where he was. A few minutes passed while Richie kept up the charm that was apparently working, and pretty soon a much older gentleman who’s had way too many beers in his lifetime came bounding out into the hallway to greet them.

“Well ain’t you boys just about the fanciest lookin’ folk to step in here,” he drawled out, eyebrow cocked as he stared them down with false bravado.

“Afternoon, Sheriff,” Eddie nodded, stepping forward to shake his hand. “We have a few questions we’d like to ask you, if that’s okay.”

*

When they left the Sheriff’s station not an hour later, Eddie had already written down enough information for them to get started on searching out locations in town. (Richie also thought he had gotten the blessing from the Sheriff to make the moves on Wendy, the receptionist, if his comment about her not having met any nice men in a while was anything to go by).

“I mean, it was a nice offer and all, but—” Richie continued as they walked back over to the car to go and find a hotel to stay in for the next few days. “Do I give off some energy that I want to settle down with some woman who’s almost twice my age?”

“Maybe because you flirt with them?” Eddie replied sarcastically.

“So, what? Flirting equals marriage proposal now?” Richie said as they slid back into the car. “By those standards, I guess I’ve proposed to you about seven thousand times.”

Eddie turned to smile at him. “Oh, it’s more than that.”

There was a vacant hotel back near the town’s border, so they decide to head there, figuring the less people around them the better. The woman, fully engrossed with her Readers Digest, paid them no mind when she handed over the room keys and told them that if they complained about the bed sheets then there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

“What the hell happened on these sheets?” Eddie said when they stepped inside, nose compulsively scrunched up.

“I don’t know,” Richie answered and flung himself on top of them. He gave Eddie a wink. “But I know what’s _about_ to happen on them.”

“You’re insatiable,” Eddie said as he began to undress to change back into their regular clothes.

“Oh, strip show,” Richie said and propped himself against the headrest, hands clasped comfortably over his stomach and feet overlapping. Eddie rolled his eyes but Richie could tell he wanted to laugh.

They had picked up one of those tourist maps at the front desk of the motel and Eddie already had it spread out over the table provided, along with the information from the case files and his laptop open and perched atop a vacant chair. Richie was desperate to shower after having slept in the car overnight, but he knew they had to finish their research first.

“It’s okay,” Eddie said, as if reading his mind. “Just do it quickly.”

“Babe, statues will be erected in your honour,” Richie breathed out before swiftly ducking into the also questionably clean bathroom. He was done in 5 minutes, not needing to wash his hair this time, and went to stand behind Eddie in the ridiculously small motel towel provided.

“So all of the found body parts were located within a half-mile radius of each other,” Eddie started, pointing to the first ‘x’ he’d drawn on the map, followed by the other four. “It’s safe to assume that whatever—”

“Or _who_ ever,” Richie cut in.

“—is causing this is somewhere in this location,” Eddie finished, flipping through an old journal Mike had given them back when they had been in a tight spot during an old case.

“Hey, no, look…” Richie said, grabbing Eddie’s attention. “We’ve seen this before, when we were just outside Detroit, remember?” He picked up a pen and began drawing across the map, connecting each location until finally completing the picture of the inverted pentagram.

“Ah, shit,” Eddie muttered.

“ _Ah, shit_ indeed,” Richie said with a wince. “Someone’s been trying to dance with the Devil.”

“And they’ve been using human sacrifices,” Eddie grimaced, rubbing a hand over his mouth. He leaned back in his chair as his hand ran through his hair. “Think it’s another ancient spirit?”

“Only one way to find out now,” Richie said. He got dressed as Eddie called up Mike again to tell him and Stan what they’d found out. It wasn’t long before they had their arsenal ready and were revving the car back to life once again. Eddie held the map while Richie drove this time.

“I say we drive to the centre on the pentagram, see what’s there,” Eddie said. “That’s typically where they set up camp.”

Richie nodded and pushed down on the gas. “Yes, sir.”

*

As it just so happens, what was located directly in the center of their findings was an old, no-longer-operating warehouse. Richie can say they’ve operated in their fair share of warehouses over the years, and it never got any more fun. Since, typically, it was only Eddie and him working most cases, it was always a risk to split up to cover more ground. They liked to bring walkie-talkie’s with them while on the job, and for the most part, the risk usually paid off in the end.

They stopped and parked around the block, eyeing off the warehouse as they both come to an agreement on how to go about scouting it.

“Should we stay here to wait and see if anyone walks in or out?” Eddie asked him.

“I doubt that’ll help,” Richie said and lowered his binoculars. “I have a feeling whoever is causing this knows exactly what they’re doing.”

“Okay, get ready then. We’ll see what we can find before Stan and Mike get here,” Eddie said, getting out and walking around to the trunk. He passed some weapons over to Richie wordlessly while Richie checked that the walkie-talkies were still working.

Eddie finished reloading his gun before glancing at Richie. “Ready?”

“After you, babe,” Richie said, and together they both crossed the road and jumped over a high-rise barbed fence. He was never great with landings, and it always made Eddie bite down on a smile.

“You good?”

“Always,” Richie said and brushed himself down.

There were a few possible entrances into the warehouse – emergency exits and loading docks, but in a situation like this, breaking in through an ajar window was going to be their best bet. They end up circling halfway around the warehouse before stumbling upon one still relatively close to the ground, so they place some wooden crates underneath before Richie moved in first. With his height, he only has to drop down about 3 feet, lightly enough to not arouse suspicion. When Eddie climbs in next, Richie grabs hold of his waist before lowering him down gently.

The moon and street lights streaming in through the windows were just barely enough to help them see the surrounding space, not wanting to use flashlights and draw attention to themselves. The warehouse seemed to have more sectioned off rooms than most, making the operation a whole lot trickier. He was weighing out the pros and cons of splitting up when Eddie tapped him lightly.

“C’mon,” he whispered. “Stick together for now. We’ll start from the back and work our way up.”

Richie nodded and followed behind him, listening out every now and then for any signs of movement besides their own. Eddie would stop before each corner and pear around it, throwing back a signal to Richie before moving forward. There were no pungent odors in the air, only the typical smell of oil and dust. Nothing else seemed to be out of the ordinary, just an endless supply of rusty machines and empty boxes. There was a second, smaller level for the offices, which Richie suggested they leave for last.

“How many more rooms do you think are left?”

There was a conveyer belt leading into a room where production must have been. Richie guessed there could only be a few rooms left downstairs.

Suddenly, the sound of something falling to the floor could be heard in the next room over, followed by the shuffling of feet.

Eddie made a gesture to question if they could be armed, and Richie pointed out another door to the far side of the room. He mimed them both ambushing whoever was in there from both sides, and Eddie nodded back, slinking over to the conveyer belt which was large enough for his smaller frame. He watched Eddie climb onto it before he hurried over towards the other entrance, only when Richie got there, it became clear the door had been bolted shut and there was no way he could pick it in time.

He looked back over to see Eddie had already gone through and cursed under his breath, rushing over to follow after him. It was a tight squeeze, and as he pushed himself through he could hear Eddie begin to shout, telling whoever was there to stop.

“Eddie?” Richie called, a touch desperate. His shirt got snagged on a loose nail, and when more yelling erupted he tore through it in a panic to reach the other side. “Eddie! Can you hear me? Eddie – answer me!”

A gunshot rang out around the warehouse and Richie’s stomach dropped like lead. “ _Eddie!_ ”

As soon as he cleared the conveyer he stood, stumbling onto the ground as he looked around for something – _anything_.  

“Eddie!”

“Richie? I’m near the loading area!”

Utter relief washed over him and so Richie stepped forward, weaving in between large shipping containers and out into a clearer opening of the warehouse. He couldn’t make out Eddie standing around anywhere and wondered if there were two loading zones. As he turned down another aisle he stopped, seeing up ahead the body of a woman dressed in black. When he got closer he saw the blood pooling out of her and hesitated. A gun that looked strikingly similar to Eddie’s laid close to her outstretched hand.

With a dry throat he called out, “Eddie…?”

He got no response this time. Gun cocked and ready he stepped back, trying to keep as quiet as possible with his heart pumping loudly in his ears. No sounds of Eddie could be heard, and Richie had only a brief moment to question what the fuck was going on before something heavy was ramming into the side of his head and he was falling to the floor as the room went black.

*

When he came to his head was spinning, and with good reason.

With great effort he lifted his head up, temple throbbing and hands apparently tied up behind his back on the chair. Vision still swimming, Richie angled his head around in an effort to find Eddie, seeing no one else occupying the empty space. He pulls at his hands and feet but to no avail.

“You really think that’ll do anything?”

Richie froze.

That was Eddie’s voice.

But… no, _no_ , this wasn’t what Richie thought it could be, surely. Eddie wouldn’t… he wouldn’t do this. There had to be a reason. Someone (or something) must be holding him hostage as well.

“What’s going on?” Richie finally asked.

There was a laugh, light and familiar, yet it only sent a chill down Richie’s spine and he waited for a response. Footsteps crept closer until Eddie was stepping into view, a smile dancing along his lips as Richie looked up at him helplessly. He watched closely for any kind of sign that this was all just some act; that any minute now Eddie was going to snap out of it and untie him.

“What’s going on is that you’re going to be my last sacrifice,” Eddie said, playing with a knife in his hand.

Richie closed his eyes, cold dread seeping into every crevice of his body. But he had faith, he _did_.

“Oh, really?” Richie replied, trying to stave off the tremor in his voice. He opened his eyes again to watch as Eddie walked over to a table laid out with tools.

“You saved me time on going out to find a sacrifice,” Eddie said, picking up a bucket of what looked like red paint and walked to the centre of the room. “You get the honour of being my final hurrah.”

“No,” Richie grunted, struggling fruitlessly.

Eddie chuckled, bending down as he dipped one hand into the bucket. When he drew it back, it became clear it was blood. He started with a simple circle, and Richie had seen it enough today to know Eddie was aiming towards a pentagram. Richie’s hands balled into fists, frustrated he couldn’t reach for the blade in his boot.

As soon as Eddie was satisfied with his work, he turned back to Richie with a coy smile. “I hate to do this to you, sweetheart…”

The loving nickname was like slap to the face. Richie started to shake his head, refusing to believe any of this was happening.

“Oh, is that a sore spot for you?” Eddie laughed again as he inched closer. He came to a stop in front of Richie and grinned. He eyes flicked back and forth, as of trying to get a read on Richie. “Oh, I see.”

Richie said nothing, only flinching when Eddie’s hand reached out to trace along his jaw lightly.

“He’s screaming at me right now, you know,” Eddie said lowly, fingers moving down to Richie’s throat. “Swearing at me to stop touching you.”

“What?” Richie whispered, tongue feeling heavy. That didn’t make any sense.

Eddie withdrew his hand and brought it up to tap at his head. “Eddie, was it? He’s not very happy about me doing this to you.”

 _He’s gone insane_ , Richie thought. He tugged at the rope again, needing to knock some sense into whatever it was that Eddie’s saying. Nothing was adding up and Richie was slowly running out of ideas to get out of this mess. “Why… why are you doing this?” Richie asked in an effort to stall.

Eddie smirked. In a split second he grabbed the armrests of the chair and dragged Richie across the floor until he was centred in the pentagram. He ripped open Richie’s shirt to expose his chest before reaching for the blood again. He coated up one finger and started to draw on Richie’s skin.

“This is only the beginning, sweetheart,” Eddie said. “My kind have been around for a long time, and now _your_ time is about to run out.”

“Your…” Richie trailed off, shifting each time more blood touched his chest. “… kind?”

Eddie hummed, pleased with his artwork and stepped away. “Yes,” he paused, “My _kind_.” And then, almost as quick as a blink, Eddie’s eyes turned completely black.

Richie jerked in surprise, heart lodged in his throat, unable to comprehend what he just saw. “What the fuck?”

Eddie shot him a toothy grin. “You’re going to help me bring in a whole lot more of us. Pretty soon your world will be crawling with us, and we’ll make it _better_. We will bring the revolution.”

“No, no,” Richie damn near begged. “Eddie, baby, I know you’re in there – control it, you can do it, I know you can! _Fight it!_ ”

“It’s too late for that,” Eddie tutted. He stepped back and held up an arm, fingers stretched toward Richie as he began to recite a series of words Richie was unfamiliar with.

“No—” Richie shouted, trying to move the chair out of the circle. “No, _no_! Eddie! Can you hear me? _Eddie!_ ”

He saw Eddie shift in place, face pinched, but his chant never wavered. It was growing increasingly hotter under his skin, and soon the floor was cracking open around him, a blinding light shining through as Richie felt a weight settle itself onto his chest. His windpipes were closing up, tears spilled from his eyes, and all signs were pointing to the end.

If Eddie could still hear him in there, then Richie was going to do his damn best to tell him one last time that he—

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw two other figures break into the warehouse and swore vehemently as they struggled with something in their hands.

Through the dust and sweat on his glasses, Richie could see his chest had started to glow underneath the skin and where the blood markings had been drawn they were now burning like a cast iron brand. The pain was unlike no other, tearing him in from the inside out and ripping out an agonizing scream from his throat.

“Richie!”

“What is Eddie _doing_ —”

Those voices belonged to Mike and Stan and Richie would make a joke about timing if he could. He could see as Eddie was momentarily distracted by their intrusion, glancing at them with a curled lip, and Richie only hoped their friends knew what to do about the monster inside of Eddie.

“Eddie’s not home right now,” Eddie said, still with his arm outstretched. Whatever thing was inside Eddie, Richie had no clue about it possessing any powers.

“Guys, it’s—”

And before he had the chance to warn them Stan was revealing a bat and swinging it in Eddie’s direction. Eddie sidestepped most of the hit, but it was still enough to break the hold he had on Richie. He heaved a breath as soon as he felt his release, trying desperately to regain his voice.

“Guys, it’s not—” he coughed up some blood but pushed through it. “Stan, stop! It’s not Eddie!”

“Richie, what do you mean?” Mike asked as calmly as he could while he unbound his restraints. Stan held back his hits as they waited.

“His eyes turned black, he’s – he’s not—” Richie didn’t know the name for it, but prayed to God that Mike did.

“Black?” Mike almost whispered. A spark of recognition flashed across his eyes, and he abandoned Richie in order to search through the satchel Stan had slung over him.

“Black, you mean like—” Stan started.

“Yes,” Mike interrupted and frantically flipped through a book, scanning it.

“You know _nothing_ ,” Eddie spat, edging toward them as Stan tried to scare him back. Richie wanted badly to go over there but his chest merely screamed in pain when he tried to move. But he needed to know Eddie would be okay, he _had_ to be.

Mike finally stopped on a page and mumbled under his breath, fingers tracing over some text. He finally looked up when Eddie got a hit on Stan and sent him flying back.

“You’re in for it now, you bastard,” Mike said. When he spoke again, it was in a language Richie didn’t recognize. “ _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus… spiritus, omnis satanic potestas…_ ”

“Stan, what is he—”

“Exorsism,” Stan groaned out as he stood up. Richie felt his eyes blow wide.

“You—” Eddie tried to step forward but appeared held back, struggling in his place as his body twitched and writhed. Richie stood by, helpless, fear clinging onto every part of his body. The longer Mike spoke the more Eddie cried out in agony.

“ _… Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire… Te rogamus, audi nos!_ ” Mike finished on a yell, and they all watched as a dark cloud emerged from Eddie’s slack jawed mouth, climbing up into the air with a force so strong before it disappeared out into the cold night.

Eddie’s eyes rolled back into his head before his body collapsed to the floor. Richie rushed over, patting every surface of him to get him to wake up.

“He should be fine, Richie,” Mike said.

“Are you kidding?” Richie asked incredulously. He turned back to Eddie and ran his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair. “Eddie? Eddie, baby, can you hear me?”

Moments passed as they all waited for any signs of movement. Richie clutched at his throbbing chest but didn’t let go of Eddie, nerves on edge, and then, as if he was submerged and finally came back up for air, Eddie’s eyes snapped open with a gasp and he scrambled up into a sitting position.

“Thank God,” Mike said.

Eddie was huffing, hands hovering as they reached out for Richie. “Rich…?”

“Hey Eds,” Richie grinned through the blood.

“Fuck,” Eddie cursed before launching himself into Richie’s arms, clinging to him and almost toppling him over. “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry…” Eddie sobbed. “I tried to stop her, I did, I—”

Richie shushed him, clutching around Eddie’s waist tightly. “It’s okay now. I’m okay. I’m so glad you’re okay, Eds.”

“It was a demon,” Stan said, claiming both of their attention. “Mike and I encountered one a couple weeks back. We didn’t think…”

“We had no idea there could be more of them,” Mike finished for him, worry clear in his tone.

“A demon? Like an _actual_ demon from hell?” Richie said.

“They’re… real?” Eddie breathed out.

“Considering what we already hunt on a daily basis, it’s not the strangest discovery,” Stan said as he placed the book back in his bag. Mike walked over to help Richie up, and together he and Eddie each took one of Richie’s arms to support him.

“Tell you what: I could really use a fucking drink,” Richie said, and he heard Stan snort behind him.

“We’ll patch you up back in our room, c’mon,” Mike said as they hobbled out of the warehouse.

Richie hissed as they placed him inside their car, and Eddie said they’d follow behind. As soon as Eddie slid into the driver’s seat he turned to Richie with a trembling expression.

“I was so scared,” Eddie admitted, hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. “What if Mike and Stan hadn’t made it in time, I can’t…”

“Hey,” Richie said softly, placing a hand overtop Eddie’s. “If I ever get dragged down to hell, you best believe I’ll never stop trying to claw my way back up to you.”

Eddie laughed wetly, rubbing his sleeve over his face. They drove behind Mike and Stan in silence, but Richie never removed his hand from Eddie’s, and Eddie squeezed it almost the entire way back.

*

The next day, they waved goodbye to Mike and Stan from the motel parking lot and drove back to their motel room.

After talking with them all morning, Mike had put together some pages of information about what they had found out about demons and how to get rid of them. Regrettably, no sources had any knowledge on how to kill them, and Stan proceeded to tell them the demon had simply escaped and could easily possess someone new.

“So they burn from holy water and can’t move out of salt rings,” Richie read aloud. “And we can recite any of these passages to perform an exorcism…”

“This is nuts,” Eddie muttered.

Richie glanced down at his chest, feeling the bandages underneath as he shifted around. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was that blinding light from below as it tried to take hold of him. He shook his head, instead focusing on the soft hum of the radio as it played.

“All in the job description,” Richie mused and watched the scenery pass them by. “I tell you what – I’m more than ready to just lie in bed all day. Wanna join me?”

He saw as Eddie gave him his first smile of the day. “Okay. But we are _not_ watching re-runs of The X-Files, alright?”

“What? Sometimes they have helpful tips,” he reasoned, full of shit, since they both knew Richie just watched it to fawn over both the lead actors.

Eddie went to turn the volume up as the songs switched over. The steady beat of an old classic filled the space of the car, effectively easing Richie back into the leather seats as they sped down the deserted streets. It was a moment completely undisturbed by the outside world.

They lay close together that night, still reeling from the events of the past day. Richie softly traced patterns onto Eddie’s back while he slept away tucked in Richie’s neck, and he vowed, then and there, that he was never going to let that happen to Eddie again.

With his gun close by, Richie shut his eyes and fell into sleep as well.

 

**Author's Note:**

> you know I love to hear what you guys thought, so lemme know!  
> I wanted this to be about them first discovering the demons from hell and dealing with their first possession. and eventually Mike shows them the tattoos the Winchester brothers have, and they continue travelling around and kicking demon ass :D


End file.
